Record 90 cities dumped Flock Safety cameras in August alone

The backlash against automated license-plate surveillance is no longer a trickle-it's a flood. New data from Secure Justice, a Bay Area anti-surveillance advocacy group, shows that 90 cities and counties ended their contracts with Flock Safety in August 2026 alone. That's a fourfold increase from the previous month, and it pushes the total number of localities that have dropped the company since 2021 to 214. The numbers, first compiled by Secure Justice, paint a picture of a company that was once the darling of local law enforcement now facing a coordinated wave of exits from communities as small as Pflugerville, Texas, and as prominent as Lansing, Michigan.

Flock Safety, founded in 2017, has become the dominant player in the automated license plate recognition (ALPR) market. Its solar-powered cameras, often mounted on poles and streetlights, capture every plate that passes, feeding data into a cloud-based system that police can search for vehicles linked to crimes. The company has pitched itself as a neutral tool for solving thefts and violent offenses, and it has attracted significant venture capital, reaching a valuation of over $4 billion in 2022. But that growth story is now colliding with a grassroots movement that sees the technology as an unchecked expansion of state surveillance.

The reasons for the cancellations are consistent across the country. Secure Justice's tracking shows that communities are citing out-of-control surveillance, unwanted data sharing with other agencies, high expenses, and reports of police abusing the tool. In some cases, officers have used Flock data to track individuals involved in political protests or to monitor domestic disputes, raising civil liberties alarms. The data-sharing issue is particularly thorny: Flock has historically allowed partner agencies to access each other's feeds, creating regional networks that can track a vehicle across dozens of jurisdictions without a warrant. That feature, once touted as a feature, has become a liability as privacy advocates and even some lawmakers question whether it violates Fourth Amendment protections.

The acceleration is striking. Secure Justice's records show that the pace of departures has been building for years, but the jump from roughly 22 exits in July 2026 to 90 in August represents a step change. The group attributes the spike to a combination of factors: new state laws restricting ALPR use, high-profile investigative reports on misuse, and a growing number of city council votes to defund the programs. In August alone, at least a dozen municipalities held public hearings on Flock contracts, and the majority voted to terminate. The trend is not limited to progressive enclaves; conservative-leaning towns have also joined, often citing cost overruns and the lack of clear evidence that the cameras reduce crime.

For Flock Safety, the financial implications are significant. The company's business model relies on recurring subscription fees-typically $2,000 to $5,000 per camera per year-and it has expanded aggressively, claiming to operate in over 4,000 communities. Losing 90 contracts in a single month, even if they represent a small fraction of its customer base, signals a churn problem that could spook investors. The company has not publicly commented on the Secure Justice data, but it has previously defended its practices, arguing that it provides transparency through public-facing dashboards and that it restricts access to authorized law enforcement. However, those assurances have not stemmed the tide of municipal resolutions.

The broader context is a shifting regulatory landscape. Several states, including Virginia, New Hampshire, and Minnesota, have passed laws in the past two years that limit how long ALPR data can be retained, require warrants for certain searches, or mandate public audits. The federal government has also shown interest: the Federal Trade Commission has opened inquiries into data brokers, and the Department of Justice has issued guidance on surveillance technology. These moves have given local officials political cover to cancel contracts, and advocacy groups like Secure Justice have made it easier by publishing detailed lists of terminations and the reasons behind them.

The strategic stakes for Flock are high.